ESA - What should I ask my doctor to write in her letter?

Catlover777

Hiya, I've been claiming ESA and it has come to the point that I am appealing to HMCTS. I'm claiming for anxiety due to a facial injury and have been taking anxiety medicine and am waiting for therapy (long waiting lists here).

I want to get a letter of support from my GP to boost my chances of being accepted for the full rate, however my doctor seems new and has asked me what kind of support this should be, I feel that she has never written a letter of support or the like, but seems willing to do so.

What should I ask her to put in the letter?

Thanks in advance, I'm grateful for all help and will be checking back regularly.

HappyMJ

Anything that would help your case. It's really just a summary of your medical history that is required. It'll look very technical patient x on date visited and such and such happened....etc etc... DWP will get a second opinion at some point anyway so it won't matter too much.

pmlindyloo

You get click on the link within this link from CAB (Appealing section)

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/benefits_e/benefits_sick_or_disabled_people_and_carers_ew/employment_and_support_allowance.htm

This suggests that it is useful for your doctor to have sight of the ESA descriptors as well as giving your medical history.

Catlover777

Thanks for the great replies.

GirlFromMars_2

I've taken to making things easy for my GP. I write a letter myself that covers everything I would like my doctor's letter to cover. He then paraphrases, what I have written. His last letter costing me £10 simply stated that he agreed with everything I had written in my own letter. Still, it did the trick! Presumably if there is anything with which he disagreed he wouldn't include it in his own letter.

I include:
My diagnosis, and any pending areas of enquiry.
The fact that my condition is variable.
An overview of how my condition affects me in relation to each set of descriptors that apply to me.

ie, a sentence/paragraph on how my condition affects my mobility, how it affects my performance of personal tasks, and how it affects my ability to communicate with others.

And a list of unresolved symptoms that affect each of these things, with a very brief description of how the symptom affects me.

Although I see my GP regularly we don't always discuss my condition in relation to the descriptors that the DWP runs the world by. It is useful for me, my GP and the DWP to have a concise overview linking my health to the DWP descriptors.

Technically I believe my GP is only supposed to list my symptoms, but it's important that he knows which are the specific ones that relate to the descriptors.

My GP now asks if I'm writing my own letter, and if he can have a copy when I ask him for written evidence, as it's obviously easier for him than composing his own letter from scratch.

I'm assuming the letter he had on file from me also helped him when the DWP wrote to him asking him to supply further evidence.

Catlover777

Thanks GirlFromMars, that sounds like a great thing to do. The best thing to do in fact.

I hope my doctor is cool with that way of doing things, I don't see why not.

micky2phones

GirlFromMars wrote: »

I've taken to making things easy for my GP. I write a letter myself that covers everything I would like my doctor's letter to cover. He then paraphrases, what I have written. His last letter costing me £10 simply stated that he agreed with everything I had written in my own letter. Still, it did the trick! Presumably if there is anything with which he disagreed he wouldn't include it in his own letter.

I include:
My diagnosis, and any pending areas of enquiry.
The fact that my condition is variable.
An overview of how my condition affects me in relation to each set of descriptors that apply to me.

ie, a sentence/paragraph on how my condition affects my mobility, how it affects my performance of personal tasks, and how it affects my ability to communicate with others.

And a list of unresolved symptoms that affect each of these things, with a very brief description of how the symptom affects me.

Although I see my GP regularly we don't always discuss my condition in relation to the descriptors that the DWP runs the world by. It is useful for me, my GP and the DWP to have a concise overview linking my health to the DWP descriptors.

Technically I believe my GP is only supposed to list my symptoms, but it's important that he knows which are the specific ones that relate to the descriptors.

My GP now asks if I'm writing my own letter, and if he can have a copy when I ask him for written evidence, as it's obviously easier for him than composing his own letter from scratch.

I'm assuming the letter he had on file from me also helped him when the DWP wrote to him asking him to supply further evidence.

Hi i did the same as you,leaving my doctor only to read and sign it.

Thinking this was a good idea,saving him time.

His reply was he didnt need it as they send him a form to fill in.

tomtontom

micky2phones wrote: »

Hi i did the same as you,leaving my doctor only to read and sign it.

Thinking this was a good idea,saving him time.

His reply was he didnt need it as they send him a form to fill in.

A letter from your GP tends to include different information from that which might be included in the ESA113. GfM's advice is sound, I would always recommend getting a letter of support if possible, because an ESA113 report is not always requested but also because it allows the GP to give more detailed information.

GirlFromMars_2

micky2phones wrote: »

Hi i did the same as you,leaving my doctor only to read and sign it.

Thinking this was a good idea,saving him time.

His reply was he didnt need it as they send him a form to fill in.

I wouldn't suggest writing their letter for them, that seems really presumptuous and what if they disagree with what you've written?

I write a letter from myself to the DWP and give a copy to my GP, he can then base his letter on mine if he chooses, or disregard it entirely if he really wants to start from scratch.

GPs do charge for the service of writing letters of support though, as it's not something covered by the NHS. Even if they crib from something you already wrote!

atrixblue.-MFR-.

MY LHB has put a ban on GP's surgery's writing letters of support. my GP surgery will only allow you to request evidence form medical files for £10.00 per DPA request and to sign a letter of DPA release into your control. They have a massive poster in the waiting room from the LBH detailing why. GP's have limited amount of time during the day to complete paper work, do house calls to the disabled who cannot attend the surgery and complete ESA 113 reports.


so in my LHB area the only way to get round that is to pre warn your GP that a ESA113 is coming their way and have reception put the letter to the front of your medical file on the letter you should put what descriptors your feel apply and hope your GP agree's so they can fill in the ESA113 correctly.


GP's do know what the descriptors are as they are handed a slimline copy of the WCA with the report request to aid them filling it in, the problem is they are too rushed to read them so if you point them in the right direction with a letter to the front of the medical file when he/she sits down to complete it it will aid them to get an understanding of what kind of support you need.


you have to be careful of what you put in evidence if you say I wrote letter headed XYZ and my GP signed it to confirm I have this illness etc, it can be stricken out as unreliable evidence due to it not being completed infull by the GP, some tribunals don't put weight on it but allow it some will strike it out.


All the evidence you compile to aid your case be that reports (not supporting letters) but diagnosis letters, care letters, care pack information, letters of increase of meds can build a picture of the illness or disability, physio reports (always instruct your physio to write progress reports to the GP) the lot and submit them as your evidence, things you wish to scrutinize such as atos reports, put in another pile, have copies of what your professionsals has said about you and mark them down against what the "atos HCP" has said about you if they contradict eachother.


Ultimately by accident I found writing a letter to the Tribunal judge pointing him to the specific descriptor that you have enough evidence to back you up for and saying this is what I believe what descriptor matches my me, here is the evidence on letters headed xyz dated xyz to support my opinion, the ATOS report is contradicting specialists reports see report xyz and letter dated xyz headed xyz and note what specialist xyz in xyz report has specifically stated the opposite of this in their report dated XYZ headed xyz.


when I attend the tribunal on xyz these are the specific points I wish to concentrate on and bring to your attention.


in the hours or day before the hearing, the panel will pick you pack up and review it to familiarize themselves with the case. when they read such letter, it will help them forget about going over the whole case and like you requested go into depths with what you highlight.


hopefully like me who did this very thing to aid my case, the judge had read the pack hour before the case, called my wife and said not to bother coming to the court, that a decision had been made I was successful and awarded what I said I had matched, support group. unfortunately I had already left ahead of this phone call to beat traffic, an thus attended, clerk said I had one before I had even got into the lobby but he said he would ask the judge if he wanted to see me, he did, he explained that I had infact made his job easier that day due to my key facts in the case, he and the panel was happy with the evidence I had provided, they matched the criteria sorry the DWP had made the wrong decision in this case and dragged me through this and wished me well.


planning and organization is key. asking for what you proving that you match criteria with evidence, contradicting DWP reports, goes a long way in helping yourself achieve what your believe your entitled to, you have to approach it like a proper court system.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

GirlFromMars wrote: »

I wouldn't suggest writing their letter for them, that seems really presumptuous and what if they disagree with what you've written?

I write a letter from myself to the DWP and give a copy to my GP, he can then base his letter on mine if he chooses, or disregard it entirely if he really wants to start from scratch.

GPs do charge for the service of writing letters of support though, as it's not something covered by the NHS. Even if they crib from something you already wrote!

it can also not be taken as evidence come tribunal if its not headed paper by the GP surgery but its a medical support letter signed by them, GP's can get into trouble for doing that kind of thing also because its out of their remits to do so, it wouldn't be seen as an impartial letter of opinion, but a patient doctor favor.